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03 January 2008 / Peter Vaines
Issue: 7302 / Categories: Opinion , Public , Commercial
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New year resolutions

Peter Vaines suggests that the government turns over a new leaf

 

Now is a good time to look back over 2007 with a glow of satisfaction— or perhaps to draw a veil over the events of the year and to resolve that 2008 will be better. I imagine Gordon Brown (and Alistair Darling) will have mixed feelings. As Brown looks back he will remember the joy of finally reaching the summit of his ambition. He will not want to forget those heady days immediately following his succession to that other chap—whose name seems already to have been forgotten—when he could do no wrong. If we had given him a cricket bat, or a pair of rugby boots, he would have won the World Cups all on his own. Unfortunately, his period of satisfaction lasted no longer than the traditional cigarette and he now must be looking forward to 2008 in the hope that nobody remembers much about 2007—nor his contribution to previous years either. Somehow, I don’t think so.
Darling found himself catapulted
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

NLJ Career Profile: Stephen Ward, The Barrister Group

From mowing lawns to life at the Bar: Stephen Ward reflects on an unconventional career

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Clarke Willmott—Ben Loosemore

Commercial property partner joins Clarke Willmott in Southampton

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Ellisons—Robert Tiffen

Robert Tiffen joins Ellisons as Partner in growing Norwich office

NEWS
The Law Society RFC Festival of Sport returns next month, bringing together legal and financial services professionals for one of the sector’s largest annual sporting events
Legal aid deserts leave almost one in four without adequate access to justice
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has warned solicitors and law firms that using artificial intelligence does not alter their professional obligations, amid concerns over inaccurate legal material and client confidentiality
From forgotten interest claims to case-management appeals, a string of procedural developments offers useful—and occasionally cautionary—lessons for practitioners

Jonathan Fisher KC highlights that it now accounts for around 40% of criminal offences, with roughly 70% involving technology, and argues that the UK cannot simply prosecute its way out of the problem. Detection, investigation and prosecution all require improvement, while different fraud types demand tailored responses.

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